CompetitionCompetition forfor spacespace and the and the declinedecline ofof the the majoritymajority ofof fishfish stocksstocks havehave speedspeed up the up the searchsearch forfor improvedimproved management management toolstools, , includingincluding EEcosystemcosystem--basedbased FFisheriesisheriesMManagementanagement, , Marine Marine ProtectedProtected AreasAreas and and ArtificialArtificial ReefsReefs

fromfrom http://oceanservice.noaa.govhttp://oceanservice.noaa.gov

fromfrom: http://ian.umces.edu: http://ian.umces.edufromfrom http://artificialreefs.orghttp://artificialreefs.org

ARsARs contributecontribute toto increaseincrease the the biomassbiomass ofof some some exploitableexploitable fishfish speciesspecies

…providing…providing foodfood

notnotfoundfound

10 m inside 10 m inside AR AR

originaloriginalhabitathabitat50 m 50 m

outsideoutside ARAR

concrete concrete substratessubstrates

10 m 10 m

50 m 50 m outsideoutside AR AR concrete concrete

substratessubstrates

originaloriginalhabitathabitat

notnotfoundfound

originaloriginalhabitathabitat

50 m 50 m outsideoutside ARAR

10 m 10 m inside inside

ARAR

concrete concrete substratessubstrates

Sciaena umbra Diplodus annularis

Lithognathus mormyrus

foundfound 10 m 10 m inside inside

ARAR

The The deploymentdeployment ofof ARsARs the the ItalianItalian coastcoast ofof the the northernnorthern AdriaticAdriatic SeaSeaactuallyactually representrepresent anan additionaladditional tooltool forfor fisheriesfisheries management management asas theytheycontributecontribute to…to…

MITIGATE MITIGATE conflictsconflicts forfor spacespace betweenbetween smallsmall--scalescale fisheriesfisheries usingusing set set gearsgears, , hydraulichydraulic dredgesdredges and and illegalillegal trawlingtrawling inside the 3 inside the 3 nmnm fromfrom the the coastcoast;;

WIDEN the pool WIDEN the pool ofof speciesspecies exploitedexploited byby the the smallsmall--scalescale fisheriesfisheries and, and, hencehence, , increasingincreasing fishersfishers’ ’ incomeincome;;increasingincreasing fishersfishers’ ’ incomeincome;;

SHIFT SHIFT anan amountamount ofof fishingfishing efforteffort fromfrom overexploitedoverexploited resourcesresources toto valuablevaluablespeciesspecies ((finfishfinfish and and musselsmussels) ) thatthat are rare in the are rare in the muddymuddy bottomsbottoms wherewhere the the artisanalartisanal fisheriesfisheries usuallyusually operate.operate.

SmallSmall--scalescale fishermenfishermen askask forfor more and more more and more ARsARs

AdriaticAdriatic SeaSea::

Wide Wide trawlabletrawlable areaarea

High High fishingfishing pressurepressure

MediterraneanMediterranean SeaSea ((2.500.000 km2.500.000 km--22))

90 90 platformsplatforms

FISH ASSEMBLAGES ASSOCIATED WITH GAS PLATFORMS IN THE FISH ASSEMBLAGES ASSOCIATED WITH GAS PLATFORMS IN THE NORTHERN ADRIATIC SEA NORTHERN ADRIATIC SEA (Scarcella et al., 2009)(Scarcella et al., 2009)

Adriatic Sea (160.000 km-2)

NorthernNorthern regionregion

SouthernSouthern regionregion

REGINA REGINA

DepthDepth: 22 m: 22 m

LegsLegs: 4: 4

AgeAge: 12 : 12 yearsyears

NAIDENAIDE

DepthDepth: 35 m: 35 m

LegsLegs: 1: 1

AgeAge: 5 : 5 yearsyears

STUDY SITESSTUDY SITES

AdriaticAdriatic SeaSea

(160.000 km(160.000 km--22))

NorthernNorthern regionregionANNALISAANNALISA

DepthDepth: 54 m: 54 m

LegsLegs: 4: 4

AgeAge: 10 : 10 yearsyears

RESULTS RESULTS -- UNIVARIATEUNIVARIATE

<< <<

<< <<

RESULTS RESULTS -- LFDLFD

RESULTSRESULTS –– UNIVARIATEUNIVARIATE&& LFDLFD

InIn thethe northernnorthern AdriaticAdriatic SeaSea thethe deploymentdeployment ofof gasgas platformsplatforms producesproduces aadifferentiationdifferentiation inin thethe fishfish assemblageassemblage ofof thethe naturalnatural softsoft--bottombottom.. TheThedifferentiationdifferentiation isis strictlystrictly correlatedcorrelated withwith thethe compositioncomposition ofof thethe fishfishcommunitycommunity inhabitinginhabiting thethe regionregion andand isis mainlymainly duedue toto thethe occurrenceoccurrence ofofreefreef--dwellingdwelling speciesspecies aroundaround thethe platformsplatforms..

TheThe artificialartificial substratessubstrates providedprovided byby aa gasgas platformplatform actact dede factofacto asas ananartificialartificial habitathabitat,, attractingattracting andand concentratingconcentrating manymany speciesspecies thatthat areare rarerareartificialartificial habitathabitat,, attractingattracting andand concentratingconcentrating manymany speciesspecies thatthat areare rarerareinin thethe naturalnatural softsoft--bottomsbottoms.. InIn addition,addition, consideringconsidering thatthat thethe fisheryfishery isisprohibitedprohibited inin aa 500500 mm radius,radius, thethe zoneszones surroundingsurrounding thesethese structuresstructures maymayrepresentrepresent smallsmall ProtectedProtected AreasAreas (MPA)(MPA)..

Generic macrovacuolar structures after 1 year from deployment(15 Km offshore ; ALNG, 2010)

The third dimension in The third dimension in the sea:the sea:EcoEco--designed offshore designed offshore foundation for fishes, foundation for fishes, seasea--grass and multigrass and multi--use use purposes: diving, fishing, purposes: diving, fishing, tourism, etc. tourism, etc.

((PiochPioch and and FéronFéron, 2011), 2011)

The fourth dimension: The fourth dimension: sociosocio--technicaltechnical and and ecologicalecological usesuses. . Example of multiExample of multi--use management of a wind farm: use management of a wind farm:

diving, scientific studies, aquaculture, fishing, tourism, etc. diving, scientific studies, aquaculture, fishing, tourism, etc. (D. (D. LacroixLacroix , 2011), 2011)

Main conclusions

• Assessment of the impact for the operationalphase of OWF on commercial biologicalresources/fishery effort in Adriatic is proposedby using quantitative/objective approaches(wide-medium scale, site and species specific)(wide-medium scale, site and species specific)

• Mitigation for OWF is also possible based on present basin knowledges on Artificial Habitat and Mariculture (small scale, site and species specific)